Public Enemy Number One
by KumoKunoichi
Summary: A young Cloud-nin is kidnapped and forced onto a team for a purpose she doesn't know. And what is this about sneaking into the Chuunin Exams for the Akatsuki organization? OCs, Naruto cast much later.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story idea went through several stages before I finally decided on this. I hope you like it, and of course feedback is always appreciated. **

The rain felt like needles on her skin.

Panting, gasping for breath, the girl continued running despite her burning ache, keeping her arms crossed in front of her face to guard against the whiplike branches of the forest. Consequently, it was preventing her from seeing properly, but the dark night, coupled with the thick rain and the fact that her wet bangs were sticking to her face, wasn't giving her a clear range of vision anyway. Besides, staying alive was more important at the moment.

The tears had long since been washed away by the rain. Her face felt hot, almost feverish from running in the storm, but also chilled. Sick with fear of impending death, she ignored the pain that suddenly twisted into her right thigh. She must've pulled something. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she lashed out at a particularly thick branch in her way, not caring as it scratched the arm of her gray jacket.

Were they still following her? _Why_ were they following her? She hadn't done anything wrong... Just been out on a regular training session with her two Genin teammates and Jounin sensei. So why had they been killed? Why were the murderers coming after her now? Couldn't they just let her live?

The whistling of a projectile as it cut through air reached her ears, and she hit the ground, sliding hard along the dirt on her right shoulder. A quick glance up revealed that a kunai had embedded itself in a tree, at the same height as the back of her neck. New fright washed over her, and she swiftly leapt to her feet, one hand partially inside her shuriken holster. She doubted she could win against them, but maybe...just maybe, luck would smile upon her.

Several agonizingly slow seconds ticked by without further incident. Her eyes jetted back and forth, scanning the tangled mass of forest in front of her for something that wasn't there. A few more seconds passed. Had they given up? Gradually, she relaxed, and slid her hand out of her holster.

Perhaps the crash of thunder that sounded at that exact instant prevented her from hearing the vicious chorus of steel that snaked through the air behind her. Beady black eyes, belonging to a pale, hardened face, glinted with delight as its owner flicked his wrist, sending the tip of a kunai, the first of a long chain of the sharp weapons that comprised a mean-looking device: a six-foot whip of linked kunais, out at her.

It bit into her upper left arm, then slid past the wound, sending flecks of blood into the air. Wincing, she recoiled, clutching at her injury, then whirled around, three shuriken spread between the fingers of her bloodied hand as she tried to locate her enemy. She managed to catch a glimpse of a grotesque smile and a head of fiery red hair before her attention was once again diverted by sharp pain.

The kunai chain rippled; its manipulator had given it another flick as it was completely straightened out, and in its swaying path had cut across her _other_ arm, for she'd turned. Stifling a cry, for she didn't want to show weakness to her attacker, she blindly hurled her shuriken at the spot she'd seen him, then jumped high into the trees.

Thunder crashed a second time. Her arms were burning with pain. After quickly inspecting the wounds on her arms and reaching the conclusion that she wouldn't bleed to death from them, she slipped her finger into the ring of a kunai and drew it. Thank goodness the handle was wrapped with bandages, otherwise the blood on her hand might make it too slippery to hold. Okay, now be calm. The village was... Somewhere to the east, just a couple of miles. Or was it to the north? Refusing to believe that she had lost her bearings in a situation like this, she glanced around furtively, struggling in vain to find any sense of familiarity in the endless sea of forest. No use. The storm and her fear made it impossible to decide her location.

_This is stupid! Think, Sabaki, think! You're a Cloud-nin, its storming with thunder and lightning; surely you can think of something to save yourself!_ But she drew up only blanks. Oh, why couldn't these assassins have struck next week or even two days from now? Gasumi-sensei had promised to teach them a new jutsu tomorrow, one that would involve utilizing actual lightning. It could've been of some use to her now, but she would never know what it was.

A single, quiet footstep on the branch behind her caused Sabaki to spin 180 degrees, wielding her kunai in a backwards grip, like a knife. She was frightened, tense, and angry, and she desperately needed an outlet for all that emotion. To her luck, there was a blurred, dark figure standing in front of her. Apparently, he hadn't expected her to react so quickly. Too bad for him. Gritting her teeth and mentally shouting '_die, you murderer!'_ she lunged forward, brandishing her kunai.

Instead of sinking into someone's soft stomach, her stab was blocked with the noise of clashing metal. As kunai parried kunai, she got a clear view of her assailant. He was probably around her age, a few inches taller, locks of dark brown hair stuck together wetly from the rain, and had no hitai-ate. For some reason, even as the blade of her kunai threatened to slide off his, this fact stuck out like a sore thumb in her mind. He had no hitai-ate. Sabaki's mind drifted proudly to the thought of her own headband, nestled loosely around her neck.

Finally, the kunai parted, and she jumped back to avoid the boy's swift slash, almost slipping off the branch. For a brief moment, the two locked eyes, his steely gray fighting her fierce hazel. And she asked, voice trembling with cold and grief, "Why are you doing this?"

She doubted he would answer her. However, Sabaki never got to find out, for at that moment the accursed kunai chain came tearing through the maze of branches below them, rising up just inches from her already wounded right arm like a snake. Nonetheless, she flinched and backed away, almost slipping again. This had to be the redheaded boy she'd spotted in the bushes on the ground... That was as far as she got to think before the boy standing on the branch charged forward and tackled her.

Both of them fell from the tree and began a painful descent towards the forest floor, hitting various things as they went. The boy was jarred in the shoulder by a branch before he regained control and leapt off her. Sabaki, swearing quietly, saw him come to rest in a crouch in another tree before she fell out of view.

Damn, damn, this was bad. She was facing two guys with definite murderous intent, already injured and losing. Not to mention falling very quickly towards the ground... Her arm shot out and she grabbed the nearest branch, which thankfully did not betray her and break. Clinging on with the help with chakra focused into her fingers, Sabaki shut her eyes and grimaced as her arms continued burning against the rain.

_Gasumi__-sensei...Kanake-kun...Tomeko-chan... Help me, please... I don't want to die._

Before she could drag herself onto the branch, her ears caught the sound of rustling chain and metal. Sabaki's eyes widened in horror. No, not that-

She screamed as the kunai whip wrapped around her right ankle, the blades digging into her flesh. As if that wasn't enough, its owner, most likely that red-haired boy, gave it a sharp tug. She lost her hold on the slippery branch and fell again, not bothering to stay quiet anymore as she half-cried, half-cursed in agony. All other efforts to grab another branch were completely fruitless.

Somehow, she managed to muster enough concentration to draw a kunai after hitting the ground and rolling a short ways in the mud. Only problem was, she had no target to attack, and even if she had the strength to stand up, what was the point? It was a losing battle. Her arms hurt more than ever, her torso was aching where the brown-haired boy had tackled her, and her still-wrapped ankle was becoming numb with pain.

Squelched footsteps brought her attention back on task. Sabaki heaved herself up on one arm, throwing her hand with the kunai towards the source of the noise, hoping to give him at least one nasty mark before she was killed.

The kunai was knocked away. She gave a slight 'oomph' as she was kicked back down, vision blurring even worse than the rain could make it. Anger had been replaced by fresh terror, and she was aware of someone's foot putting pressure on her throat, another foot stepping down hard on her wrist. Sabaki could not prevent a tear from escaping her eye. Was this it? Had her fight been for nothing? Was she about to join her late sensei and teammates?

"Hehehe... Is the weak little girl scared?" Barely able to breathe, she angled her head so that she was staring up at the face of the redheaded boy. He was wearing a feral grin, giggling crazily as he held the handle of the kunai whip in his hand. His grip tightened, and in a split second Sabaki realized what he was about to do. Her eyes widened, begging him not to-

He tugged, sending a new wave of liquid fire through her ankle and up her leg. Much to her satisfaction, though, she didn't scream, only whimpered.

"Stop it, Chinji. She's been restrained. This mission is over." Now it was the dark-haired boy speaking. Blinking rapidly to get the rain and tears out of her eyes, Sabaki looked at him at the same time he glared down at her. No trace of emotion, not even disgust. His countenance was simply stone.

As it turned out, he also happened to be the one whose foot was resting firmly on her throat. As she lay at their feet, exhausted and helpless, he formed several seals, then crouched down and lay his hand on her shoulder. "_Nemuri_."

_Oh, well_, Sabaki reflected as her eyelids began to droop. She was alive, and that was something to be grateful for. Now, she wasn't sure what sort of torment was waiting for her when she woke up, but she wouldn't worry about that now. Impending sleep was much too inviting for her to resist. And to think that just this morning, the biggest worry on her mind had been what outfit to wear to get Kanake-kun to notice her...

* * *

Nemuri (Sleep) – Puts the target to sleep. 


	2. Ch 1 Thoughts and Memories

She woke up with a considerable headache. At first, Sabaki was confused as to why she was lying on her side on a cold stone floor, in a dark and dank room with no windows but a steel door, her wrists secured behind her, and completely alone. Then, the past events came rushing back in an overwhelming flood, causing her to sit up abruptly.

_Ouch!_

She winced as pain stabbed both her arms, and remembered that that redheaded boy with the kunai whip had slashed them... Turning her head to examine the wounds and finding that they'd been bandaged, she realized for the first time that someone had taken off her jacket. Thankfully, she was still wearing her other articles of clothing, including her white tank top and black cargo pants. So where was her jacket? Awkwardly rearranging her position to get better balance, Sabaki twisted around and found it bunched up against the wall.

Her eyes inadvertently traveled up the wall and rested on a pair of manacles dangling from the ceiling. Gulp. Thank Kami-sama they hadn't put her in those, but then again having one's hands bound behind one's back wasn't exactly comfortable, either. Well, that could be remedied fairly easily...

Concentrating chakra into her fingers, Sabaki focused on loosening the knots in the rope, and after a few minutes wriggled her hands free. Rubbing her wrists, she stood. Okay, so far so good. Now, to get out of this place.

_Ouch!_

It had only taken one step to make her wince again. Coincidentally, she'd put weight on the foot that been wrapped in the kunai whip. Damn it, that whip was really making things hard for her, wasn't it...? Sabaki knelt down and lifted her pant leg to inspect her ankle, but was surprised when she found it bandaged, just like her arms. Had her captors done that? Why?

Somehow, knowing that they had a heart gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't hurt her. Too badly, that is. If she found a way to gain their trust, perhaps she would be able to think up a plan of escape.

Sabaki turned around and limped over to her jacket, pulled it on, and hobbled back to the heavy steel door. Meticulously, she felt around it, wishing for some sort of secret switch or a weak spot, but no such luck. It was indeed what it looked like: a heavy steel door. Well then, were there any loose bricks in this prison?

But what good was it trying to find a means of escaping this melancholy room if she couldn't even run away properly? Her best chance would be to ambush them, injure them, and get away before they could give chase. That might've been a good plan, but her weapon holsters had been removed. She felt inside her pant pockets. No, no, her senbon were gone, too.

It took a good deal of restraint not to curse aloud.

As the thought that it couldn't get much worse crossed her mind, it did. She jumped backwards as the door suddenly opened, crossing her arms in front of her body defensively. Augh, too bright... Sabaki squinted, straining to see the face of the towering figure in the doorway, but couldn't get a good look; it was totally obscured by shadow.

She was caught off-guard when a strong gust of wind plowed into her, sending her flying into the wall. The chains jingled. It knocked the breath out of her, but she was back on her feet in an instant.

_What was that? A jutsu? A... wind jutsu?_

Every fiber of her being tensed as the man walked into the room, closing the door with a great 'bang'. Now, she could see him better. He was wearing a black turtleneck of some sort, a dark cloak over his shoulders and fastened in the front with an ornate silver clasp, and equally dark pants that blended into the depths of the cloak. Her gaze nervously wandered towards his face. Long strands of silver hair, a strong and square chin, no marks of any sort on his pale skin. But most outstanding of all were his eyes. They were a vividly cold azure hue, shining dangerously and fixed in a most disturbing manner on Sabaki. She shifted; not a word was exchanged between them as each observed the other.

To be truthful, she had been expecting one of the boys, not this intimidating man. But of course, _he_ had been the one to murder Gasumi-sensei... His stare made her feel as if he could freeze her in a block of ice if she dared look back. Swallowing hard, she moved in the direction opposite to him until her back touched the wall. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

"Who... Who are you?"

The ice-like eyes narrowed. Sabaki held her breath. Was she not allowed to speak? Was he going to finish her off now? She had a hunch he hadn't been the one to bandage her wounds. He didn't appear to be the caring type.

"You may call me Yuumoya. And you are Shikeru Sabaki, correct?"

_He knows my name. Oh, Kami-sama, he knows my name... _Just don't answer. Don't confirm it, let the statement slide...

Yuumoya took a step closer, effectively breaking off her train of thought. "Shikeru Sabaki, Genin of the Hidden Cloud Village." Another step. "Thirteen years old, ID number 60278." Another step. "Academy instructor Tonjiru Hana, Room 11..."

She inhaled sharply, attempting to back away again but finding the wall in her way. How the hell did he _know_ this?

He continued to move closer, now about three feet separating them. If he noticed her heightened panic, it didn't show in his face. "Graduated with a class ranking of 14th out of 60 students, favorite jutsu Kumo Bunshin, strongest area is ninjutsu, once received detention for breaking a globe while throwing shuriken in the classroom..."

Two feet between them. "Born in Kataburi village north of Kumogakure, mother is Shikeru Junsei, owner of a ceramics shop, father is Matomaru, deceased."

One foot. "Two-story house, painted light yellow, the cobblestone walkway in front rounds once to the right and twice to the left."

Mere inches. Sabaki wasn't certain if she knew how to breathe anymore. Her pulse was racing so quickly it hurt, blood was pounding in her head, she couldn't see straight; Yuumoya was just a dark, blurry mass. The blurry mass gestured forward, and she felt him cup her chin in a warm, gloved hand. Through the frightened tears that had formed, she saw clearly his penetrating eyes, drilling holes into her mind.

"N-No," she choked out. This wasn't right. "You... You're just trying to scare me." A desperate smile crept onto her lips. "Any half-decent stalker could've found those things out." Inside her head, Sabaki was screaming at herself. Was she actually taunting this guy? This evil man who looked very capable of ripping her throat out with his bare hands? She must've had a death wish. And besides, if she was really listening to herself, she was basically hoping Yuumoya was only a crazed stalker and _not_ some murderous shinobi bent on making her life hell.

Yuumoya was not amused. To her relief however, he let go and deliberately strolled back to the center of the room. Those piercing eyes shifted towards the bundle of ropes she'd freed herself from, then swiveled back onto her.

"You're skeptical. Shall I delve into more personal facts, then?"

More...personal facts? Her mouth grew dry. Just how much did he know?

Thankfully, he stayed in the middle of the prison, but his glare alone was enough to keep her cornered. "There is a birthmark on the back of your right shoulder that looks like a swan."

A chill slithered its way up her spine. Unconsciously, Sabaki moved her right hand and touched the spot, flinching as though she'd been burned.

Yuumoya ignored her and continued. "Sometimes you wake up in the dead of night and find that, for just a brief moment, you can see in the dark. But then it fades, and your room appears just as black as when you slipped into bed."

The chills had spread to the rest of her body. It was utterly impossible for him to know _that_, unless... unless he'd been watching her at night as well as the daytime... Who the hell was he? How did he know? What did he want with her? Those questions and a hundred more swam in her mind.

Sensing that he almost had Sabaki at her breaking point, Yuumoya pressed on. "Oftentimes, when you walk the streets of your home village, you imagine that the residents are glaring at you, hating you, silently cursing your existence for a reason you do not know. In Kumogakure, too, the adults do not offer friendly smiles. They judge you differently from the other children."

It was true. It was very true. But _how did he know_? Sabaki did suspect that the adults in her hometown disliked her, but she never knew why. Her mother always told her to stay indoors after sundown, always warned her to steer clear of the neighbors and stay alert when traveling alone, as if fearful that someone might try to hurt her... In the Hidden Cloud Village the academy teachers and other shinobi treated her just fine, but the civilians were like the adults at home. Cold, distant, spiteful.

Her legs had become jelly. Unable to support her weight any longer, Sabaki slid down the wall, gazing blankly at a spot somewhere to the left of Yuumoya's feet. "What do you want with me?" she whispered, voice barely audible.

She didn't expect him to answer, but he did. "I require your services. You do not know it yet, but something you harbor could prove very useful to my cause."

"What? What cause?"

Answers she wanted more than anything else to have, but he denied them to her. Instead, he approached her again and crouched down, keeping her frozen against the wall with his stare.

"You will find out in due time. But first, there is something I want to know..."

He had removed the glove from his right hand and was rolling up his sleeve. Sabaki had no idea what he wanted to know, what he was about to do, but she didn't want to find out. The desire to resist, which seemed to have melted during past few minutes, came to life, and she dove to the side in a pathetic attempt to flee.

Yuumoya's left hand caught her quickly about the throat, and as she emitted a short gasp, he calmly slammed her against the wall. His other hand was placed on her forehead, blocking his upper face from her view.

"N-No," she stammered, "Stop-"

"Hush. Ninja do not beg, girl. _Shinreitejutsu_."

Pain exploded in her head; Sabaki squeezed her eyes shut and tried to scream, but no sound came out. She was drowning in a blank ocean of white noise, she couldn't feel anything... Then, like watching a silent movie about herself, images from the past came crawling to the surface, playing before her eyes.

The morning she was kidnapped, Kanake in a treetop, waving at her with a wide grin.

Her team's first meeting with Gasumi-sensei, on a balcony of the academy's third floor.

A day in class, Hana-sensei teaching them how to perform the Henge no Jutsu.

Her seventh birthday, her mother had given her a green ribbon with a jeweled cat on it.

One of the afternoons she was left home alone, staring at a framed picture of her father.

Three years old, her next-door neighbor giving her a venomous look.

Too many memories. Too much pain. Just when Sabaki thought she couldn't take it anymore, Yuumoya removed his hands and stepped back, leaving her weak and trembling, slumped against the wall of her cell. She could feel her awareness of the situation escaping, sending her back into the blissful recesses of her mind.

Just before she fainted, she heard him murmur, "As I thought. She has it." And her world evaporated.

* * *

Unnamed (Rope Untying Technique) – Uses chakra to loosen knots in rope. 

Unnamed (Wind Gust Technique) – A strong wind that knocks the target back.

Shinreitejutsu (Psychic Surgery) – Allows the user to look into the vistim's mind, pulling out information about his/her memories, thoughts, feelings, etc.

**Thanks for reading. Let's see if I can let her remain conscious at the end of the next chapter…**


	3. Ch 2 Prisoner?

**A/N: Much thanks to those that reviewed! Encouragement is always appreciated… Also, for some reason my emoticons aren't showing up when I upload my documents, so just imagine a happy-eyed smiley at the end of every A/N, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I forgot to put this into the prologue. Oh, well. You all know perfectly well that the wonderful world of Kishimoto belongs to him, not me. What does belong to me are Sabaki, Yuumoya, and all other OCs in this fanfic.**

"Sabaki, pay attention!"

She had been staring rather dreamily at Kanake-kun, head resting in the palm of her right hand, eyes half-shut as she sighed. He was the cutest hunk of thirteen-year-old Genin she'd ever seen. How could she not have an immense crush on him? Fortunately, Kanake in turn seemed to think the same about her, because Tomeko, her other teammate, had revealed that sometimes, when Sabaki wasn't looking, he would also stare at her. And why wasn't Tomeko jealous? She liked a certain dark, mysterious boy from Team 4.

So she hadn't exactly been paying attention to Gasumi-sensei's instructions, but that was hardly a plausible reason for him to yell at her, right? Wrong. Knees buckled, shoulders shaking, and grinning apologetically at her teacher, Sabaki quailed as he scolded her again for daydreaming. It was a recurring problem, but she was trying to fix it! Really!

"Now, back to what I was saying. In order to successfully climb these trees like I've told you, you'll have to focus chakra into the soles of your feet, like so, then keep it there while you- Sabaki!"

With a jump, she blinked innocently at her sensei. "What?" Kanake-kun and Tomeko-chan snickered.

Gasumi-sensei shut his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if on the verge of having a bad migraine. "Sabaki, come here for a moment. We need to discuss something..."

* * *

As considerable as her headache had been when she woke up the first time, the throbbing in her temples was _really_ bad this time around. Sabaki opened her eyes for a split second, then shut them tightly, groaning. She couldn't even think, much less see straight. After half a minute of lying against the wall and resting, the pain ebbed.

Had that been a dream? Just before she regained consciousness, she recalled the scene where Gasumi-sensei had been trying to teach them how to wall-walk, yet she was distracted by Kanake-kun... At the thought of her deceased teammate, her throat grew tight. Sabaki fought back tears and let out her breath in a hiss.

Those murderers. Those stinking murderers. It was their fault. That intimidating stalker man, Yuumoya, and his two subordinates, the redheaded boy with the kunai whip and the dark-haired one with the emotionless face. All their fault. Why hadn't she died along with her teammates? It would've been better to have passed on to the afterlife in an honorable fight, not be captured and left alone in a dark prison to rot and be tortured...

But Sabaki remembered something Yuumoya had said. He required her 'services'. She hadn't the faintest clue what he meant by that, since she was far from being the best Genin in Hidden Cloud and had no special skills to offer. Heck, even Tomeko-chan's ability had been better than hers. Truthfully, she was always relying on their support to get by.

_But they're not here now, are they? They're dead, and you're going to have to fend for yourself against who knows what dangers..._

Suddenly, the steel door opened. Thinking it was the creepy Yuumoya come to suck memories out of her brain again, Sabaki leapt her feet, instinctively reaching for a kunai but brushing only empty air. Right, they'd confiscated her weapons... Gritting her teeth, she prepared for the worst.

However, it wasn't Yuumoya standing in the doorway, but that dark-haired boy. He was wearing a shirt with a thick collar, the sleeves extending just a little past his elbows. His pants reached just above his ankles, where the rest was bandaged to his feet. His whole outfit, including his sandals and two belts looped around his waist, were dark brown like his hair. A weapon pouch was tied to his left leg.

He stepped into the room, glaring at her for some reason, and make a noise that sounded suspiciously like a condescending 'feh'. Then, much to her shock, he tossed two very familiar holsters and a cloth bag in her direction. They landed at her feet.

She glanced at the offered objects, then back up at him. "What?"

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head slowly as if dealing with an especially ignorant child. "Those weapons are yours, aren't they? Yuumoya-sensei told me to return them to you. But I warn you, try anything funny and I won't hesitate to widen those cuts in your arms."

Voice as cold and compassionate as ice, kind of like Yuumoya. So, the tall, silver-haired stalker had students? Sabaki quietly swallowed at the thought of _how_ the boy might go about reinforcing his threat, and knelt down to re-strap her holsters to her thighs. The cloth bag contained her missing senbon and explosive tags, which she gratefully put back into the pockets of her jacket.

"Um... thanks, I guess."

"Hn. Well, you're being moved. Follow me."

He turned to go, but stopped as she asked, "Moved? Moved where?" They couldn't blame her for being wary. For all she knew, he was about to lead her off to be killed, like a lamb at the slaughter. Or for some painful method of interrogation, in which she doubted she would survive, since her endurance wasn't all that great and besides, she had no information to give up.

The boy blinked once, then narrowed his eyes, obviously irritated. "Are you always this stupid or is it a special day?" One eyebrow was raised.

"What did you just say?" Despite having her life in reasonable jeopardy here, Sabaki couldn't help but be insulted by his rhetorical question. Kidnap her, hurt her if you want, but nasty comments like that weren't needed! But she was quickly stared down, and smiled nervously while cautiously shuffling towards him. "Uh, s-sorry. I didn't mean that. I'll come." She gulped again and discovered newfound interest in the floor.

Appearing to be satisfied by her resignation, the boy nodded curtly and led her out of the prison.

She'd been expecting a dark, stony hallway lit by torches that curved into an underground labyrinth, where any captive that tried to escape would only become hopelessly lost and die of starvation. Sure enough, she saw a torch when she took the last step out of her cell, but it was situated on a metal wall, and to her right was only a dead end with a large painting of a bloody rose, not a maze of doom. To her left was a staircase leading up, presumably to the rest of this place.

No words were exchanged as the two Genin climbed the staircase, each step creaking heavily as they went. Thanks to her slight limp, the stairs creaked even more loudly for her.

Sabaki followed him through an empty room with peeling red paint, underneath an indoor arch with words eroded by age, down a corridor with two tapestries depicting peasants at their daily work, and finally, up a second staircase where her new home was waiting for her, behind a door that bore a large 'X' scratched in by a sharp object. She noticed that the door was wooden this time... In fact, a quick look around confirmed that the other half dozen or so doors on this floor were all made of wood.

Patience was not a virtue with the boy, for he grabbed her roughly by the upper arm, wrenched open the door, and shoved her inside, closing it firmly behind them. Wincing, she backed away and took care to keep at least five feet from his person at all times... And then she noticed the furniture in this room.

There was a white mattress on the floor, no springs or support of any kind, just a mattress. A tall cabinet stood beside it, but whether it was locked or even contained anything she wasn't sure yet, and a single lamp, a tall gray one, sat in a corner. It was lit but curiously unplugged. What interested her the most however, was the window. A set of bedraggled curtains hung limply over it, and she could see that the glass had not been polished in a long time. It was dark out, meaning it was nighttime...

If there was a window, and it could be opened, perhaps she could escape from this place.

Unfortunately, the boy seemed to read her thoughts and cut in, "Don't even think about leaving." He added darkly, "Chinji and I went through a lot of trouble to catch you, and if we have to chase you again, well... Let's just say I can't guarantee the merchandise won't be harmed." And he tapped the pouch on his leg.

Something in his words told Sabaki he was serious. Maybe it was that icy edge, or the bare hint of sadism riding along his tongue, or the sheer _calm _with which he spoke, but she knew that she was putting her neck on the line if she so much as touched that window. Trying hard to smile, she walk-limped over to the mattress and sat down, sending up clouds of dust. She coughed.

Silence. She looked at him, waiting for him to leave, but he didn't budge, only stood there with his hands in his pockets, scrutinizing her. Kami-sama, did he learn to stare from Yuumoya? It was unnerving. In an attempt to stop him and bring some sanity back to herself, she asked, "...So, what's your name? I'm Sabaki. Nice to-"

Nice to meet him? Oh, puh-lease. It was an awkward moment, one that made her think she shouldn't have opened her mouth at all. His glare decisively hardened, and she offered another apprehensive smile, a bead of cold sweat rolling down the side of her head.

"...Tsuimaru."

"Huh?" It came so abruptly it took her a moment to realize that _that_ was his name. "Oh!" Damn, she looked so intelligent right now...

His eye twitched. Sabaki gulped. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't... I mean... Er, what I meant to say-"

"You asked me for my name and I gave it to you, yet you were too slow-minded to realize it, right?"

"Right. Wait, no!" She frantically shook her head, then glared at Tsuimaru. For the briefest of moments, a very crazy and brief moment, she felt as if they were friends, teasing each other, and she almost stuck her tongue out at him. But of course the weight of reality came crashing down on her, and Sabaki grew nervous again, chewing on her bottom lip.

It could've transformed into something nasty. But their little conversation was interrupted by the spontaneous opening of the door. It slammed into the wall, painful squeaks emitting from the hinges, and sent more dust flying up. Sabaki tensed.

It was the other boy, the one who'd cut both her arms and her ankle with his kunai chain. The same boy with a head of fiery red hair, formed into thin spikes that were swept messily backwards. He wore no shirt, but a pair of loose black pants, a sash the color of gold dust around his waist. There was a brown scarf around his neck, and Sabaki could see a fang earring dangling from his left earlobe, so white it gleamed and made his pale skin look almost sickly. It was Tsuimaru's companion, Chinji.

He wasn't carrying the whip with him, but the expression on his face was enough to scare the wits out of her. His pupils were dark and ridiculously tiny against the whites of his eyes, giving him a crazed, predatory gleam that was only helped along by his smirk. Chinji had long canines. Very long, very sharp-looking, very vampiric canines...

Raw fear swallowed Sabaki, rendering her unable to move as he turned his unsettling gaze on her. She might have very well fainted, again, had Tsuimaru not spoken up.

"Did you bring it?" he inquired in a bored tone.

Chinji nodded and held up his white hand, showing that he was holding... a cup of instant ramen? What on earth? "Hai, Tsuimaru-san. Dinner for the girl is served like Yuumoya-sensei commanded."

She was thunderstruck. Cup ramen? Dinner for her? Sabaki's mouth remained in its same slightly-agape position as Chinji set the food on the floor of the room and lay a pair of unbroken chopsticks on top. Now, she was puzzled beyond belief. She was a prisoner in this place, right? Meant to be tortured and interrogated, put under extreme duress and broken so information could be extracted? Yet, the injuries _they'd _inflicted on her had been bandaged by them, they had moved her from a cell to a nice room with a window, had brought her food, and weren't even hurting her...

Yuumoya must've needed her 'services' more than she thought. But what did he want?

"You should eat it before it gets cold," Tsuimaru cut in. "Or before Chinji decides to eat it." The aforementioned boy laughed in the same insane manner as Sabaki had heard the night she was attacked.

Despite feeling fatigued and having no appetite, she nodded and picked up the ramen, quietly breaking the chopsticks. As she was about to dig in, she realized they were still in the room. A definite staring problem they had, all of them. "What?" she asked, maybe a little more rudely than would've been wise.

Chinji was laughing again. The corner of Tsuimaru's mouth curled into a smirk, as if he knew something she didn't.

"Why is he laughing? What... What's so funny?" Sabaki's eyes shifted from one to the other. Had they poisoned the ramen! Why, those dirty, sneaky-

"Nothing," Tsuimaru said over Chinji's chortling. "We just want to make sure you do eat. You'll need all the strength you can get. Tomorrow, we're sparring."

She didn't like the sound of that.


	4. Ch 3 Training

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, you know how holidays can be... Relatives, parties, more relatives… Thanks for the reviews, though. They're always appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 2.**

**AznNarutoGrl-91 – The Naruto Cast won't be coming along for a very long time, I assure you.**

**Rythmic**** – Weren't we all like Sakura at one point? ….Or maybe that was just me. Never mind. Sabaki will grow to become much stronger than Sakura, don't worry.**

"Hurry up."

Sabaki muttered under her breath in response.

"What did you say?"

"...Nothing."

As Tsuimaru grumbled and turned around, resuming his stiff gait through the forest, Sabaki rolled her eyes at the middle of his back and followed, deliberately taking her time. It was still very early by her standards, but the morning sun had already gotten a good head start into the sky and was rising steadily higher, showering the trees with light. Most of it was blocked by the canopy, but what did get through splashed the forest floor with patches of golden-white. All around, the smell of dirt, bark, wild animals, and nature in general was serving to wake Sabaki up quite well.

Yet, she had never really been a morning person. She had been jolted from her dreamless sleep by Chinji knocking on the door at the very edge of sunrise. After hearing that she had exactly one minute to get ready before he busted inside and dragged her out himself... Well, it was the first time she'd spruced herself up at the crack of dawn in less than 60 seconds.

It was hard not to be scared out of her wits when Tsuimaru greeted her outside her room, standing upside down on the ceiling. He flatly announced that they would be training in a clearing in the forest, and since Yuumoya-sensei was not the patient type, they'd best get going right away.

So here she was, taking a lovely trek through the woods of who knew which part of Thunder Country, in who knew what direction, to meet with the man who commanded the Genin that had kidnapped her to do who knew what sort of torturous exercises. Tsuimaru was leading the way and acting coldly arrogant as usual, Sabaki was trailing behind him and attempting not to make faces behind his back, and Chinji was leaping from branch to branch a little ways behind them to make sure Sabaki didn't try to escape. As if she would try to right now. Her ankle was feeling much better, true, and she didn't have to limp anymore, but the pain of that evil kunai chain was still too fresh in her mind.

"Can I ask you something?" she ventured, jogging until she was about a foot behind him.

Tsuimaru pretended not to hear her.

"Hey, I got a question."

Again, no answer.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"I'm talking to y- Ow!" Sabaki prodded his shoulder, only to have her wrist be caught by him. Holding it very tightly, he turned his head to glare her. Apparently, he wasn't much of a morning person, either. They'd stopped walking.

"What do you want?"

With a great deal of effort, she wrenched her hand free and rubbed it. "I was just thinking... And you know, I find it very strange that you guys would kidnap me and then invite me to train with you guys. Why are you doing this, anyway?"

Tsuimaru snorted derisively. "Invite? Girl, if you'd refused to come Chinji and I would've had to cut off one of your fingers."

Was he threatening her? Was that statement a threat in disguise? Sabaki backed up a few steps and laughed nervously. "Uh... You're avoiding the question." She sweat-dropped. "Why am I training with you guys?"

With a shrug, he continued walking again, albeit at a much faster pace. With a simple glance upwards, Sabaki could see that Chinji had caught up and was waiting for them directly above. She shuddered. In the morning light the pale boy looked like some sort of giant, ape-like beast of prey.

He never answered her. Whether this was because Tsuimaru didn't know why or he simply didn't want to disclose that information, Sabaki didn't know. But since Chinji had now descended to the ground and was trailing not even three feet behind her, she didn't dare try to stop him and ask again. Each second spent with Chinji behind her made her believe that he would bite her on the neck and suck her blood out at any moment. It was certainly unsettling, not the best type of feeling to have in the morning.

Within a few more minutes, the three Genin reached a clearing in the forest, as Tsuimaru had told her. On the side opposite them, with his arms crossed across his chest and a scowl cemented on his features, was Yuumoya. His cloak, she noticed, was hanging from a low branch of a nearby tree.

Tsuimaru and Chinji immediately walked forward and bowed, leaving Sabaki behind them. "Good morning, Yuumoya-sensei," they greeted in perfect unison. And in perfect monotone. She raised an eyebrow. What were they, a pair of slave students?

"And what about you?" Yuumoya slowly strode the length of the small clearing, past his students and right up to Sabaki.

Her smug attitude quickly dissolved into fear of the creepy man in front of her. "What... What are you talking about? No way I'm calling you my sensei. You _killed _my sensei." Sabaki, you idiot! Think before you open your big mouth, for the love of Kami-sama!

She was expecting to get stabbed, get her arm broken, some sort of painful punishment for speaking like that to Yuumoya, the person who'd orchestrated the slaughter of her team and her kidnapping... but he only stared back. And then, he planted heavy hands on her shoulders. Despite the increased intensity of fright within her, Sabaki swore she'd felt herself sink several inches into the dirt from the sheer force.

"I see that Tsuimaru did not explain to you, Sabaki..." Spoken coolly, Yuumoya glanced sideways at the aforementioned boy, who looked away and merely shrugged again. The action was mirrored by Yuumoya, who somehow managed to make even that easy gesture appear malevolent, as if hinting towards Sabaki's doom.

She gulped as he spoke.

"Your last team was unfit to have you. They were, in fact, unfit to be a part of this mortal coil. So my students and I killed them to ensure that Cloud's strand of shinobi were not infected by this weakness..."

Even though his hands were still on her shoulders, she felt a powerful emotion rise in her throat. It wasn't fear, but boiling anger. He dared to speak ill of her revered teammates and sensei, made fun of the Hidden Cloud's shinobi force, even. Sabaki wouldn't forgive him for the insults, but she knew that if she raised a finger against him, she'd be dead in the blink of an eye.

But something she said bothered her. Her last team was 'unfit' to have her? Unfit? He made her sound like some genius ninja of an ancient clan when she wasn't. She was Shikeru Sabaki, plain and simple, Genin of Kumogakure... Or rather, used to be. Now she was Shikeru Sabaki, kidnapped Genin of Yuumoya the stalker and his two flunkies.

Meanwhile, he was still talking. "...I needed a third member for my team. So in order to claim you, I had to dispose of the previous owners. And now you are mine. My student. And from now on, you will refer to me as Yuumoya-sensei, and listen to the advice of your new teammates, Tsuimaru and Chinji."

She'd balled her hands into fists. Yuumoya made her sound like an object! Property that belonged to Jounin instructors and was passed from one to another! That rat, how could he be so calm?

Before she could stop herself, Sabaki shouted, "Shut up!" and tried to remove Yuumoya's grip from her shoulders. But she found that he only held on tighter, so much that it hurt. So she resorted to frantic struggling. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to call you my sensei! You're insane! Crazy! You and your students are out of your minds! I'm never going to join your team! Not in a hundred years! You'll have to drag me kicking and screaming and half-dead-"

Yuumoya suddenly shook her very hard, so hard it stopped her tirade right then and there. As she tried to get back her bearings, he leaned towards her ear and whispered in a calculated yet murderous voice that sent chills down her back, "You are already kicking and screaming. That just leaves the half-dead bit, neh? I'm more than happy to fulfill that requirement."

Just like that, her rage vanished. Yuumoya switched his hold from her shoulders to her arms, then lifted her up and tossed her into the clearing. She rolled a little before coming to a stop at the outer edge.

This was it. She was about to buy the farm. She was going to kick the bucket. She should've been saying her prayers at that moment, since Yuumoya was definitely going to slice and dice her into mince-size pieces. Or command Tsuimaru and Chinji to do it. But Sabaki was a prisoner to her fear, and all she could do was remain in a half-lying, half-kneeling position on the ground while shivering with trepidation.

"As the newest member of this team," Yuumoya announced, acting as if nothing had happened, "I will need to assess your current abilities. We'll start with dodging."

As if given an invisible signal, Tsuimaru and Chinji leapt into the trees and disappeared into the canopy. Sabaki's senses were at an all time high. It didn't look like Yuumoya was going to kill her yet, but still, maybe this was his way of toying with his victims before finishing them off...

"Get up!" he barked, stepping forward. "And listen carefully. I have only one rule. Step out of this clearing and there will be consequences." Cracking his knuckles, he glared at Sabaki venomously, and then said, "We begin now."

Faster than her eyes could follow, Yuumoya flashed through a series of hand seals, then cried, "_Katon__ Ryuuka no Jutsu_!" A stream of flame blasted forth from his mouth at Sabaki, who had frozen midway through the process of standing up.

At the last possible second, her shinobi training kicked in, and she jumped up as high as she could, twisting upside down as she felt heat press against her body, scorching the air but thankfully not her... As she came down, she thrust out a hand to shove off the ground. However, she landed the wrong way and let out an "Ow!" as her wrist collapsed under her weight. Rolling away again, she halted in a kneeling stance, cradling her injured wrist.

Before Yuumoya could chide her for slipping up, Sabaki heard something whistle through the air. Eyes widening, she threw herself to the side, towards the center of the clearing, and looked up as a kunai buried itself into the floor. Too close.

She wasn't safe yet. There wasn't even time to begin to wonder what had happened before the sound of more projectiles reached her ears. Swallowing hard, she swiftly jumped to her feet and kicked off from the ground, leaping to one side. There were two shuriken stuck fast in the dirt where she'd been not a split second ago.

The third attack hit home. Sabaki felt several little pinpricks of pain in the back of her lower right leg, and glanced down to see senbon sticking out of her pant leg, already growing dark with blood.

"Don't let your guard down!" She didn't bother to guess what attack was coming her way next, and haphazardly dodged to the side, rolling away and biting back yelps of pain as the senbon dug deeper and deeper. A couple of soft thumps came from where she'd been, and a quick look confirmed her suspicions: two kunai, three shuriken, and about a dozen senbon, all still shaking ominously on their points.

"You might have realized now what this exercise comprises of. I remain in plain view and strike you directly. Tsuimaru and Chinji remain hidden in the surroundings, and you never know when and from which angle they attack. How long can you last, Sabaki? If you must reach the half-dead point, you might as well go all the way..."

_He's enjoying this._ Wincing, she got back onto her feet, this thought weighing heavily on her mind. Yuumoya was amused, entertained to see how long she could evade the rain of deadly projectiles... At the first sound, that of a kunai, Sabaki jumped forward a couple of feet, knowing it was more than enough to get out of harm's way-

Kaboom. She was blown almost all the way out to the edge of the clearing by the force of the explosion behind her. Ears ringing, feeling very bruised, she was certain she heard Chinji's crazy laugh echoing around the forest. What the hell was that?

"Exploding tag," Yuumoya's voice, once again indifferent, carried the explanation to her. At the same moment she pushed herself up on her hands, the Jounin was there, crouching down, and he unleashed two rapid punches towards her stomach.

Dull but mighty agony shot through her body. Coughing up something warm, sticky, and slightly metallic-tasting, Sabaki was jolted into the air, then fell back down on all fours. She no longer sensed Yuumoya's presence nearby; just before attacking, she'd felt his chakra aura. It was huge, much bigger than Gasumi-sensei had ever revealed his to be... It was intimidating, and it reminded her that she was going to die, right here in this miserable clearing in the hands of three demented missing-nin.

Nothing would have relieved her more than to just fall over and rest for a minute, immune to further attack while she recovered from the throbbing of her shoulders, back, wrist, and stomach. And the still sharp pain in her leg. But her opponents were vicious. They would not give her a break.

Sabaki snapped her head up and rolled away as a slew of varied projectile weapons ate into the forest floor from two different directions, sending up a cloud of dust. Whew, escaped that one. But how many more to go? How much longer could she last against Yuumoya, Tsuimaru, and Chinji? It couldn't have been longer than two minutes... No, a minute and a half since training began.

"Do I have to tell you to get up again?"

Her tormentor's calm tone, almost lazy, scared her into jumping back onto her feet, however much it hurt. With one arm draped around her stomach, Sabaki took a chance and slipped a kunai out of her holster with her good hand, flinging it in Yuumoya's direction.

One moment he was there, the next he was gone, and the kunai flew uselessly through empty air. Such speed... She blinked; he was in front of her, slamming his shoulder into her already targeted stomach... He sent her straight out of the clearing and into the trunk of a tree. With a groan, Sabaki slid down and lay sprawled at its base, beyond the ability to move anymore.

And standing with the same poise he'd had all along, Yuumoya shook his head at her. "I warned you there would be consequences if you left the clearing. _Kage__ Bunshin no Jutsu_."

Her eyes grew round with renewed terror as three copies of him appeared, one standing perpendicular on the tree trunk above her, one at her left side, close enough to touch, and the other in front of her, perhaps a couple of yards away. Something told her these were different from the ordinary bunshin. She just didn't know what.

But one thing was set in stone. Sabaki couldn't take much more of this.

* * *

Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu (Dragon Fire Skill) – Sends a stream of flame at the enemy, coming from the user's mouth.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) – Creates copies of the user that are fully capable of dishing out attacks and absorbing damage.


	5. Ch 4 Interlude

**A/N: Sorry about the time this has taken. I'm really busy with schoolwork and such now, with finals approaching my SAT requirements not yet met…**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 2.**

The two shadow clones closest to her grabbed her arms and hurled her headlong towards the third, waiting in front of her. Sabaki, paralyzed with fear, could do nothing to help herself as she traveled directly at the third clone. But she did have time to wonder... Was the thing that was different about shadow clones the fact that they could touch things physically and not vanish? Like throwing a poor Genin towards her doom...?

She was knocked unconscious when the clone hit her hard on the head.

* * *

Headaches were really starting to become part of her daily routine. A particularly strong one visited her as she regained her senses. At first, Sabaki didn't want to move; her temples were throbbing and she ached all over. It took her longer than usual to remember why exactly she was lying down on a soft bed that wasn't hers, why the room smelled unfamiliar, and why she hurt so much.

It all came pouring back the moment she felt someone lay a hand on one of her bruises. Flinching, she drew away from the source of discomfort and opened her eyes.

"Lay still, damn it." A rather disgruntled and gruff voice.

_Tsuimaru!_ Sabaki's features shifted into a grimace as she turned her head to the side. Sure enough, there was the culprit, crouching down beside the mattress, one hand still frozen in the air where it had been touching her arm. Right then, she realized that they had actually given her a blanket this time, and it was pulled up to her chest, folded down once with her arms exposed.

Slowly, her eyes traveled up and down her left arm, which she guessed (with some disbelief) that Tsuimaru had been tending to, and traced over every bruise. Some were big, others were small, others were clumped together in an ugly array of purple-brown-red... And some had been carefully covered with a white cream of some sort. Sabaki blinked, then switched her gaze back to Tsuimaru's hand. Sure enough, there was a small dab of the same cream.

"What are you doing?" Her voice carried more strength than she thought it would. She struggled to sit up, and managed to see from the light through the clouded window that it was still daytime before a sharp twinge ran up her back. Hissing through her teeth, she fell back down on her pillow with a groan.

Undaunted, Tsuimaru resumed rubbing the cream on her bruises. It was kind of nice; it layered the dull pain with a cool sensation, masking it effectively. Not only that, it smelled nice, a little like jasmine and tea. It relaxed her. Though Sabaki still considered Yuumoya and his Genin cohorts to be her enemy, she was about to thank Tsuimaru before he spoke, and all good intention evaporated.

"You performed quite pathetically today," he commented dryly, prodding a large bruise twice before applying the cream.

Heat rose in her cheeks from both anger and embarrassment. It would most likely be futile to argue against that, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to defend herself. "Oh, really?" she replied, tone heavy with sarcasm. "I'd like to see you do better, Mr. Hotshot."

There was no indication whether taunt had any effect on him. Tsuimaru simply continued his task, traveling from her elbow up her arm. After a moment's pause, he answered, "I can hold my own against both Yuumoya-sensei and Chinji while they're attacking me directly. For a minimum of five minutes. But you..." he let out a dry chuckle, glaring at her, "You got your behind handed to you in under two minutes."

Ergh. When the two scenarios were compared, Sabaki had to admit it was no contest. She fell silent.

"You're so weak..." he murmured, shaking his head slowly. "Why Yuumoya-sensei told us to capture you, I'll never understand. Useless," he spat, and at the same time pressed too hard, causing her to pull away again.

"See what I mean?" A bite of agitation that Sabaki did not care to return. "It only hurts _a little_. Endure it until I finish! Stupid girl..." he growled.

Sabaki didn't reply. Maybe he was right. Look at how badly Yuumoya beat her. And that night in the forest when her team was killed? She didn't stand a chance. All she could do was delay the inevitable. She was useless because she couldn't protect Kanake or Tomeko, and even now she was of no use to her kidnappers.

Again, he was too rough on one spot. She grit her teeth but didn't move.

No. What was she saying? So she couldn't win against two Genin on a rainy, thundering night when she was confused and scared. So she couldn't last longer than two minutes against a very strong, irrevocably powerful Jounin packing katons, fuutons, and jutsu she hadn't even heard of. So what? The same man had destroyed her sensei! If Gasumi hadn't had a chance, why should she be ashamed of losing?

Suddenly, she tugged her arm away from Tsuimaru and sat up, clenching her teeth as her battered body protested. "Go away. I'm fine," Sabaki said flatly.

"Don't be an idiot." Standing up, he made to push her back down, but she knocked his hand away, to the surprise of them both.

"I said I'm fine! I don't need your help!"

The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the silly girl before him. "You know, when I said to endure your pain, I didn't mean 'be a fool'. You're taking this the wrong way. Lie down; I need to finish applying the cream on your bruises so they can heal-"

Sabaki cut him off sharply with a fierce stare. "What if I don't need your stupid cream to help me heal?" Now she was acting childish, she knew, but she couldn't help herself. It was bad enough she had been stolen away from her team, forced to fight someone she would never defeat in a thousand years, be scolded by some missing-nin with an attitude... Now she had to let the same boy patch her up like a broken vase? No. It didn't seem right.

"Fine." Tsuimaru shrugged, obviously annoyed by her stubbornness, and screwed the cover back onto the little white container of cream, perhaps a little too hard. "Heal yourself. Just don't blame me if you die tomorrow when Yuumoya-sensei tests you again." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" She reached out a hand to stop him but was stopped by the ache in her shoulder. Ouch. Just how many places had that creepy Yuumoya busted up this morning? "Wait..." she repeated, a little more quietly. "What do you mean 'tomorrow'?"

She could tell he was trying hard to conceal his triumph. The corners of his mouth were twitching, attempting to hold back a smirk. "For your information, idiot girl," he said smugly, "you are training with Yuumoya-sensei again tomorrow morning. And I'm telling you right now, he's expecting a lot better from you this time around. It's your choice. You want my 'stupid cream' and me to help you heal so you won't get your ass handed to you again?"

Damn it all. Bowing her head and accepting that she'd been bested, Sabaki nodded. "Please."

"Good. Then lie down."

She did so, then shut her eyes tightly as Tsuimaru tended to her right arm. The migraine was coming back...

After the bruises on her arms had been covered in the white cream, Chinji entered her room and explained that he was supposed to use healing jutsu on her back. Sabaki asked how exactly he was supposed to know where it hurt. Tsuimaru replied that she had to take her shirt off. The comment was not well received by Sabaki, to say the least.

He was ready to knock her out so Chinji could do his job, and she was just as ready to defend herself to the last even in her weakened state, but it seemed Chinji was not the unhinged, mad boy Sabaki had made him out to be at first. He graciously intervened and said that if she removed her jacket, he'd figure out where the points of most pain were and deal with it accordingly. And she could keep her shirt on.

Tsuimaru left in a bitter mood, and Sabaki sat down cross-legged at the foot of her bed, facing the wall across from the door so Chinji could do his work. Once again, he surprised her. Although he was a scary and fierce guy in combat, his touch was even more gentle than Tsuimaru's, and it just occurred to her then that it seemed strange a demented fellow like him would know healing jutsu. Tentatively, she asked him about it.

The pale boy only laughed in his usual high-pitched cackling manner. "Yuumoya-sensei stresses the importance of being able to heal yourself. And he's right, don't you think? If you get yourself busted up and separated from your teammates and can't heal yourself, you're screwed!" More laughing.

At the notion of being separated from one's teammates, Sabaki got that suffocating feeling in her throat again. Fearing that her voice would crack if she verbally responded, she only nodded in agreement to Chinji and sighed in relief as yet another center of great throbbing on her back was eased by his healing jutsu.

He was an efficient worker, and within half an hour he declared her good to go for tomorrow. Just before he was about to leave, Sabaki asked him to wait.

"Hey... thanks for everything..." Despite the fact that she still thought her kidnappers were a group of psychotic murderers, it was only the right thing to do, thank them for patching her up. Even though they'd been the ones to inflict the wounds in the first place.

"Kekeke, no problem. You're one of us now, you know?"

Again, the choking feeling. "Y-Yeah," Sabaki stammered. "One of you." One of them. No longer a Genin of the Hidden Cloud. But wait...

"Hey, what's keeping me from escaping?"

Chinji evidently thought she was formulating plans of escape in her mind, for he swiftly moved towards the window and checked to make sure it was still locked. Sabaki shook her head, though not too vigorously, since she still felt stiff.

"No, I mean... Okay, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. You guys took me by force, i.e. kidnapped me. And killed my team. Other shinobi from my village will come out to look for us, and once they figure out what's happened and who's responsible, they'll be after you guys." She tried her hardest to sound as casual as possible. It would be just plain horrific if Chinji got insulted and decided to undo all the healing he'd done for her.

But he only laughed. And this time, the chortles were hollow as they echoed around her sparsely furnished room. "Hahaha! They'll be after _us_? They'll be after you, Sabaki!"

"What? What the hell are you talking about? You're the ones that-"

"Oooh, I get it. No one told you and you haven't figured it out yet. I was about to think you were pretty smart but I guess Tsuimaru-san was right..."

Great, he'd lost confidence in her when she didn't even know she'd had it in the first place. "Tell me what?" Sabaki asked with forced calm. If insane laughing boy didn't stop the riddles and talk straight, she'd-

"Oy, you haven't noticed your hitai-ate is missing?"

Her... Oh, no! Eyes widening, her hands shot for her neck and found that it was indeed no longer covered by the comforting headband of her village. But it... When had it disappeared? Thinking back automatically and with rising panic, Sabaki tried to remember the last time she'd recalled having it on... No, not during training yesterday. Not while in the cell. Then that meant...

Yes. That rainy night just before she was knocked out, Tsuimaru had his foot on her throat and the metal of her hitai-ate had been pressing into her flesh. "What did you guys do with it?" she asked faintly, gaze frozen on Chinji.

He wasn't laughing, but there was an annoyingly know-it-all smirk on his face. "Nothing much, you know. Just took it, made a nice line through the insignia like a missing-nin would do, and left it by the bodies of your teammates." A little snigger escaped him. "I bet you hunter-nin are after you right now. Cool, ain't it?"

Kami-sama. No. No, no, no. How could this have happened? How could she have not noticed her hitai-ate was gone? It was her _hitai-ate_, for goodness sakes! Breaths coming rapidly and in short gasps, Sabaki gripped her hair with her hands and shook her head slowly, refusing to believe it. They had made it look as if she were the culprit. As if she had gone and taken the lives of Tomeko-chan, Kanake-kun, and Gasumi-sensei. As if she, Shikeru Sabaki, not even one of the top ten in her graduating class, had committed three murders in cold blood.

There was no way the hunter-nin would believe that. Would they?

Chinji's voice interrupted her frantic thoughts. "Yah, well, I'm done here. Good luck tomorrow and don't mess up again. I'm not going easy on you, you know."

And with that, he left and closed the door, leaving Sabaki confused, frightened, and very much alone.


	6. Ch 5 It's Not Fair

**A/N: I'm not dead yet. Sorry for taking so long, but I felt rather de-motivated… Hopefully updates will be a bit more frequent, but with AP week on the horizon and a slew of projects after that, I doubt it. Anyway, I'll stop yammering now.**

**Disclaimer: See chapter 2.**

Whether she liked it or not, Sabaki really had to give Tsuimaru and Chinji credit. Back home, whenever the team had an especially grueling training exercise, she would wake up the next morning feeling as though the muscles in her body were mush, and her limbs are made of stone instead of flesh. But on this particular morning, as she sat up on the old mattress and stretched, she realized that there was almost no pain at all. Disregarding the slight twinge in her right wrist, Sabaki felt fine.

As she turned an eye towards the window, she suddenly wished the panes weren't so clouded over with dust and grime; the sun was just rising, and she was certain that the view was something quite breathtaking to witness.

A knock on the door startled her. "What is it?" she asked, still sounding half-asleep.

Tsuimaru's bored voice replied, slightly muffled through the wood. "I brought you a tub of water and some soap. Hurry and wash up. We're starting in an hour."

Starting? ...Ah, right. The training. With Yuumoya. Who probably just narrowly killed her yesterday. Oh, joy.

She didn't want to get up, but what choice did she have? Trying to be as quick as possible (and making sure no one intruded while she was indecent by shoving the tub of water in front of the door to block it), Sabaki cleansed herself. Somehow, the scent of soap and feeling of warm water over her bare skin gave her back her sanity. She got the sense that she was human, not just a prisoner others could kick around, but a person with a capable mind... And the ability to fight back. A frown crossed her face as she remembered the previous day and recalled how Yuumoya and his lackeys had kicked her butt. It shamed her.

Shikeru Sabaki was a proud Genin of the Hidden Cloud, and damn it if she was going to let her kidnappers get the best of her. Yuumoya wanted to see what she could do? Well, fine. She grinned darkly. She'd show him.

Tsuimaru had also brought a set of clean clothes. She was pretty sure they'd been provided by Yuumoya... And to her surprise, the white tank top and black cargo pants included in the set were almost identical to the ones she wore almost every day. Since when did he have time to go shopping? However, her gratitude towards the creepy man for bringing her clean clothes vanished when she got a better look at the back of the tank top: Somebody had traced out the Cloud's insignia with black ink and crossed it out with a single, horizontal line.

_He's mocking me. That stupid Yuumoya is mocking me._ Her hands tightened around the shirt as Sabaki shook with anger. No doubt this was his way of reminding her, however bluntly, that her former home had labeled her as a criminal and that she now belonged to him.

The urge to rip up the shirt with her kunai boiled over to the point of where she took one of the sharp weapons in her hand and raised it, but another knock interrupted her.

"Yo, you ready? We've been waiting for you forever, you know."

It was Chinji. Holding back a growl, Sabaki got dressed, kicked the tub out of the way (and overturned it, causing the water to drench the floor), and opened the door with such force that the redhead actually took a step back.

"What's with you?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Let's go."

But as she shoved past him, Chinji got a look at the back of her shirt. A wide grin spread over his features, and a second later, he was doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. "Hahahaha! Nice! I like your new outfit!"

Grr. She was going to rip Yuumoya limb from limb.

* * *

While it had been easy to promise herself that she'd kick Yuumoya's behind while in her room, out here, Sabaki found the situation to be quite different. Currently, she was being stared down by the man in question for being slightly late... It was just twenty seconds, but he still found it reason enough to reprimand her.

And of course, Chinji, the idiot, had claimed innocence by pinning all the blame on her. And you know what? Yuumoya _believed _him.

As the scary jounin fixed his ever-unceasing glare on her, Sabaki shifted uncomfortably, and marveled at how quickly she'd forgotten her fear of him. Hurt him, Sabaki? _You're a fool. You couldn't touch him if he had both hands tied behind his back and an iron ball chained to his leg. On the other hand, for him to kill me would take... a mere thought, probably._ It was not a reassuring idea.

"You're late. You don't seem to understand my warnings, Sabaki." Though Yuumoya murmured this in a deathly quiet tone, the lack of volume did not offset the hint of malice. She shivered, feeling very threatened, and cast her eyes towards the ground. Honestly, what was with this guy and his stares? He made her feel like a puppet, and he was pulling all the strings.

"I-I'm sorry, Yuumoya... It won't happen again."

She stiffened when he stepped closer. Very slowly, Sabaki lifted her head and almost pulled back in shock when she found his face to be mere inches from hers. The stalker was way too close...

"Yuumoya what?" he questioned, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"...H-H-Huh?" She swore his chakra aura was rising, along with his killer intent. Oh man, oh man. If this continued, she was going to crumble to pieces. But Sabaki didn't know what he meant.

A gasp escaped her when he cupped her chin, and again, she was rendered helpless as their eyes locked. Kami-sama, those chilling orbs paralyzed her. She couldn't move. Her muscles wouldn't respond. Why?

"Such a terrible memory, Sabaki," he whispered. "I told you yesterday... Remember? You will refer to me as Yuumoya-_sensei_."

Chips of ice began to dance in his eyes, laughing at her in amusement. Oh, she wanted to hit him, kick him, dig her kunai into his ears, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. Sabaki felt herself going limp in his grasp, and with a sensation of panic, realized that she was losing control. She was going numb all over. A hundred snakes were crawling up her arms and legs, encircling them, squeezing, and she couldn't move. She couldn't move...

As if in a trance, her mouth felt open slightly, and she said, "...Yes, Sensei." Sabaki's voice sounded hollow, even to her.

Yuumoya only nodded once in approval and finally released her, turning to walk back into the clearing. He seemed not to notice as Sabaki exhaled and pitched forward as if to fall, but just in time, warmth shot back through her body and she was able to stop herself from actually hitting the ground.

She noticed that she was shaking. Why? That had felt so strange... As if somebody had tinkered with her mind and set her on autopilot without permission. Was that a jutsu? Sabaki had no idea, but more than ever, she feared those eyes. Stupid, creepy Yuumoya.

"I hope you're all ready to begin," the Jounin said matter-of-factly. He nodded at Tsuimaru and Chinji, who had been standing silent and watching while she was being mentally tortured. The two boys moved into the clearing, occupying opposite sides, then turned to look expectantly at Sabaki.

"What?" She was clearly annoyed, and though she was still shaken by Yuumoya's weird trick, certainly wasn't ready to show any signs of surrender. She even sneered at the trio of missing-nin standing before her. Did they think they could dominate her? Hell no. Sabaki was _not_ that easily intimidated-

"Come here."

Amazing what two little words could do to a person. Like shedding a second skin, her confidence vanished, and a frightened Sabaki shuffled towards the clearing like a recently kicked dog to its master. She heard Chinji chuckle, and when she looked at Tsuimaru, he was smirking, but could not for the life of her figure out why she couldn't retaliate.

"Stand in the center."

Ah, right. Because Yuumoya was here. Because the man who had killed her previous sensei was standing here, only three feet away, and if she disobeyed him again, he probably use that strange... mind trick again or worse, hurt her. Who knew, if she tried to sneeze without his go-ahead, he'd probably cut off her hand.

She felt so very powerless, but positioned herself as he instructed. Right then, she realized the purpose of this setup; Tsuimaru and Chinji were standing on opposite sides of her, herself in the center, and as she watched, Yuumoya stepped back until he was at the edge of the clearing. He... he didn't really mean to make her fight these two by herself, did he? She'd barely been able to hold her own the night she was taken...

"A two versus one match will be today's exercise," Yuumoya announced coldly, and her heart sank into her stomach. "My only rule is that you don't kill each other. It would be most bothersome if I had to replace one of you."

"Hai, sensei." Chinji grinned widely, revealing his gleaming canines.

"..." Tsuimaru crossed his arms, focusing his gaze on the poor ex-Cloud Genin.

"Uh..." Sabaki whimpered.

And of course, Yuumoya ignored her. "Excellent. You may begin."

If that horrible, stormy night in the forest had taught Sabaki anything, it was that Tsuimaru and Chinji, for a couple of low-level ninja, had sharp reflexes and no objections to hurting a girl. As soon as the last syllable left the Jounin's lips, she leapt backwards and pulled out a kunai. Almost immediately, Tsuimaru closed in, a kunai in each hand.

He was fast, really fast... Was he this fast before, on that night? She couldn't recall exactly, and lifted her kunai to block both of his, arching back with the strain of trying to hold him off. As they were locked in a brief stalemate, he lashed out with a low kick, and she broke away to avoid it, rolling to the side before jumping quickly to her feet. The two projectiles came at her, which she knocked away-

Pain exploded in the side of her head as his foot collided with it. With a quiet noise of pain, Sabaki fell to the side, but planted a hand on the ground and steadied herself. Trying to focus as her head throbbed, she swung both legs around in a semi-circle in front of her. Surprisingly, Tsuimaru was caught off-guard by her unexpected counter, and joined her on the dirt.

_Shiiink_.

Oh, hell. She'd recognize that sound anywhere. Panicking, Sabaki sent chakra to her palms and shoved off the ground, flipping away to relative safety. With wide eyes, she watched as the kunai chain came crashing down where she had been lying only a second ago. Close call.

A swift glance over at Chinji confirmed that it was indeed him who was manipulating it... A scroll was on the ground beside him. _A summoning scroll? Holy shit, this is bad news..._ But she didn't have any idea how bad it was about to get. Not yet, anyway. But she'd find out soon.

Tsuimaru rose, swiped the dirt from his cheek with the back of a hand, and slammed his hands together in a seal position. At the same time, Chinji's grip on the handle of his whip tightened, and with a gleeful smile, raised his free hand in a half-tiger and chanted, "Kinzokusei Daija no Jutsu."

A slightly blue glow enveloped the length of his kunai whip, causing it to shudder, and to her horror, rose from the ground without any help from Chinji, not even a flick of the wrist. The little weapons that comprised it jingled dangerously as it hung in midair, almost as if it possessed a life all its own.

Sabaki had had enough trouble against that accursed whip when the laws of physics applied. Now, with this thing defying gravity and gods knew what else... What was she supposed to do?

* * *

Kinzokusei Daija no Jutsu (Metal Snake Technique) – saturates a kunai chain with chakra, allowing the user to control it with his mind instead of his hands. 


	7. Ch 6 It's Not Fair Part II

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 2.**

A two on one battle was hardly fair.

_But_, Sabaki reflected as she backflipped to avoid the chain, _I guess I shouldn't be surprised._ After all, they were shinobi. Assassins. Demons of the shadows. Ninja were stereotypically known for underhanded tricks and sneaky illusions, as well as their ability to kill with no emotion. Guys like Tsuimaru and Chinji giving her a fair fight? Psh. Not in this dimension, Sabaki.

The kunai whip whizzed over her head, then abruptly shifted directions, coming back at a steep angle to aim for where she had crouched down on the forest floor. Sabaki rolled away again, stopped, then resumed rolling to dodge the whip as it slammed into the ground beside her.

Meanwhile, she hadn't been paying attention to Tsuimaru, as he hadn't moved. Bad decision on her part. She turned her eyes on him just as he finished what she presumed was a row of seals, held out both palms at her, and shouted, "Kaze Taihou!"

The air separating the two Genin seemed to quiver. At first, she was confused as to what that jutsu had done, but on sudden instinct, ducked down and felt two invisible yet definite _somethings_ pass overhead. With mouth slightly open, she turned and watched as they collided with a tree, leaving a pair of small craters the size of grapefruits.

Kami-sama, was she glad she'd missed that one. At least now she knew Tsuimaru was a fuuton user...

But if she didn't get her butt moving, she wouldn't stay alive long enough to utilize that knowledge; the kunai chain was heading her way once more like a relentless attack dog. Sabaki jumped to the side, then ducked as it swerved back to grab her, then forced chakra into her feet and boosted herself away as it ate into the ground.

Possibly the only good thing she had going for her was that Chinji hadn't launched another attack since magically bringing his demented kunai whip to life, which meant that it took too much concentration for him to maintain it to use another jutsu simultaneously. That was good, but-

Sabaki grunted as Tsuimaru's kick caught her in the ribs. Reflexively, she grabbed his foot and started to flip him, but in a feat of strength and acrobatics that surprised her, he leapt up and hit her in the head with his free foot. With a dull cry, she fell and clenched the dirt angrily in her fists.

Just what was with this guy and aiming for the head? And he'd gotten her on the same side as the first time, too… With throbbing temples, Sabaki rose and crossed her arms in front of her to ward off three rapid punches from the dark-haired boy.

She needed to incapacitate him if she wanted to stand a chance. Chinji was helpless so long as he kept up his whip jutsu, unless he released it, but avoiding the evil thing had been simple enough so far, so all she had to do was keep it up long enough to attack him directly. However, versus Tsuimaru, even in a closely locked one on one struggle, she was no match.

As if the gods were trying to state that they agreed with her conclusion, Tsuimaru found an opening in her defense and punched her in the stomach. Hard.

Not even bothering to attempt a counter-attack, Sabaki leapt backwards to put some distance between them, also avoiding another strike from Chinji as the whip barely missed her throat. With one hand across her stomach, leaning forward slightly, she scooped up a kunai from her pouch and launched it at Chinji. As she'd hoped and expected, the whip came whizzing back to knock it away.

Her hands slammed together to form a few seals as Tsuimaru dashed towards her, three shuriken held in his left hand. _Kumo__ Bunshin!_ Four forms, cloudy and heavy, began to condense in front of Sabaki, and as her opponent hesitated in a brief moment of uncertainty, they formed into her exact copies.

He seemed to snarl as he realized what she'd done. With a silent cheer of triumph, Sabaki sent her clones to keep him occupied and hurled a handful of senbon at Chinji, making the frustrated boy work at keeping them away from himself with his kunai chain.

However, as she quickly discovered, even with the numbers against him, Tsuimaru was no weakling. Before she could blink, two of her clones had been dispatched with the shuriken, his fist was plowing through the third, and he caught the fourth in the shoulder with a well-aimed kick… She would have one chance to do this.

A smirk was gracing his features as he straightened up to face the real Sabaki, but it quickly vanished. Tsuimaru was fast, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge this… Her kunai speared into his arm. The dispersing clouds from her Kumo Bunshins had made really great cover.

Sabaki mentally shouted a 'hell yeah' in triumph and cocked her wrist, grinning confidently and preparing to toss a second one at him-

And was effectively stopped as Chinji's whip encircled her and tightened, trapping her arms to her sides. As the blades dug into her from too many angles to count, she screamed in pain, her legs buckled, and her kunai slipped from her fingers. Kami-sama, the pain! Sure, she'd been impaled by projectiles before, and she'd gotten her ankle snared by the kunai whip before, but that had only been one small circle around her foot…

This on the other hand, was her arms and torso, with the whip wrapped around her three full times, and though it was difficult to tell, Sabaki thought that Chinji was _still_ stepping up the pressure on his unlucky captive, making the chain squeeze her like a boa. The agony was indescribable; this must've been what it felt like to be under torture.

"Kaze Taihou!"

Her screams evaporated into feeble gasps as Tsuimaru's Wind Artillery attack slammed into her, sending her to the ground. Sabaki tried to get up, but failed. She couldn't hold enough focus to stand; the pain was that great. All the helpless Genin could do was writhe as the chain continued to crush her in a vicious hug.

Understandably, as she was too distracted, she did not notice Tsuimaru approaching her. She did not notice how slow and leisurely his steps were. She did not notice him tugging her kunai out of his arm. She did not notice the way his eyes danced over her convulsing form, narrowed in contempt. She did not notice him at all until he bore his heel down upon her head.

For Sabaki, it was added hell and a blessing at the same time. Temporarily, the powerful beating of her temples was so bad she forgot all about the kunai whip that was holding her prisoner. She lay still, listening to the uneven rhythm of her tremendous headache and pounding heartbeat. And then, Tsuimaru had to go and wreck her peace by seizing the collar of her shirt and pulling her up.

He was strong for a guy his size and age, about average; he was holding her with just one hand, her feet dangling just barely above ground. As the symphony of dull and sharp pain meshed together and began to return in full force, Sabaki looked at his scowling face with one eye, opened her other eye to look at the wound she'd given him, then finally flicked her gaze over to his other hand, in which was held the kunai, tip smeared a deep red.

"Weak..." he growled, scorn dripping heavily from his tongue. His grip on the kunai tightened.

Despite her terribly weakened condition, Sabaki could not help but be annoyed. It was two on one! Unfair, unfair! "So what?" she returned, her voice a soft but harsh whisper.

"Worthless vermin like you deserve to die," Tsuimaru replied ferociously.

"Screw you," she snapped back. Her body tensed as the kunai whip jingled, and Sabaki mentally cursed Chinji. Couldn't he see that she and Tsuimaru were having an important chat? Why was he squeezing her again?... "Do it, then. Kill me."

His reaction was unexpected. In the brief few days she had known him (brief because she kept getting knocked out by Yuumoya), to have him hesitate on anything, especially a decision that was battle-related, would have completely thrown her off. And yet, here they were, the ruthless and hitai-ate-less Genin with an opponent just begging to be killed. Seriously, she'd told him to do it, straight from her own mouth. And he wasn't taking action.

Why? He wasn't killing her... Because Yuumoya had told them not to? Was that it? Sabaki relaxed a little even though she was still in immense pain. Ah, so he couldn't kill her because his precious sensei had said so... Ha! Take that, you icy bastard!

"Go ahead."

Yuumoya, who had remained silent throughout the entire battle, suddenly spoke up, and his statement scared her to death. He was revoking his earlier rule. A shiver passed through her, and as Sabaki turned her head towards him with some difficulty, he repeated, "Go ahead. Kill her, Tsuimaru."

No. No, no, no. _He can't... No, I can't die. I refuse to die!_ Sabaki started to struggle, heightening the agony to whole new levels, but she ignored it as best she could and thrashed about, tossing little specks of her own blood onto the ground and Tsuimaru's clothing. Terrified, she watched as he brought the kunai up, steadied it so that the point was aimed at the hollow of her throat, and gradually applied pressure.

She felt wetness stinging her eyes and realized she was crying again. Damn it, Sabaki! She probably appeared even weaker now. Not wanting to witness the moment of her demise, she shut her eyes...

"No."

What?

And to her sheer amazement, she was dropped onto the forest floor, wholly alive. Subconsciously, she was aware of the sudden loosening of the kunai coils wrapped around her, and that the faint blue glow surrounding them had disappeared. Chinji must've broken his concentration out of shock; she didn't blame him.

"Why not?" Yuumoya's cool voice prevented her from being relieved. If the Jounin wanted to, _he_ could just as easily remove her from the world of the living. But when Tsuimaru did not answer, he murmured, "So, I see..."

What? What did he see?

But her vision was blurring badly, and as she lay stomach down on top of the whip, Sabaki realized at last that she was bleeding quite profusely. Strangely though, the pain had vanished, replaced by a pleasant state of numbness that was steadily creeping towards her brain, clouding the corners of her thoughts. Augh, she was going to pass out again...

Yuumoya's indifferent voice was the last thing she heard, "Take her back and patch her up."

* * *

When she came to, the first thing she realized was that someone was poking at her wounds. Feeling déjà vu wash over her, Sabaki briefly contemplated whether or not to keep her eyes closed and pretend to still be asleep, but a familiar, cold voice broke her thoughts. 

"Finally back with us?"

Tsuimaru. She released a heavy sigh as she opened her eyes and settled them on the brown-haired boy. "Unfortunately, yeah." She was back in her bedroom... No, not _her_ bedroom, but _the_ bedroom that her kidnappers had stuck her in... And was currently laying flat on the old mattress, the blanket pulled up to her waist.

He snorted in response and rubbed the white healing cream at a spot on her arm. In contrast to yesterday, the pain was sharp instead of dull, but did it really matter? Sabaki supposed not. Pain was pain. And frankly, she was a tad sick of having to wake up with pain as company. Though she sorely wanted to tell Tsuimaru to be a little gentler, she recalled his annoyance with her last time, and so held her tongue.

"You're improving."

Raising an eyebrow at this flat remark, Sabaki turned her head and gave him a look not too far from exasperation. "What the hell? I lost. Again."

"While that may be true..." Tsuimaru's voice carried no sympathy as he lifted her arm by the wrist and applied some cream to a gash on the back of her hand, "You didn't stay unconscious quite as long today." His dark eyes studied her for a moment, then turned their attention back to his task. "It's only around two in the afternoon right now... Yesterday it was almost evening before you woke."

"Oh," was all she could think to respond with. Well, there had to be an explanation for that. She hadn't gotten trounced quite so badly today as she had yesterday. Okay, so maybe not. How on earth was she supposed to compare the two battles, anyway? Either way, she'd gotten her butt kicked. Just look at her. She was bedridden, for crying out loud.

Wait, why was she trying to justify herself to this guy, anyhow? If she was getting stronger, that was a good thing.

At that moment, she felt Tsuimaru's hands rove over her stomach, across _bare skin_, and she gave a start, sitting up abruptly. Pain stabbed her in the stomach, but Sabaki ignored it and pushed herself back against the headboard, blushing furiously and gritting her teeth. "Hey, hey! Keep your hands to yourself, buddy!"

He stared at her, surprised. Then, his eyes drifted downwards, paused on her chest, and suddenly the normally stoic Genin looked away, appearing flustered. He quietly cleared his throat.

Sabaki looked down. Ah. Now she had a better picture of things... Her shirt had been removed, which explained how Tsuimaru had been able to touch her _bare stomach_ in the first place, but amazingly, some considerate person had covered her upper torso with a towel. However, when she sat up, it had fallen, and was currently pooled around her waist.

Silently, she thanked Kami-sama she always took care to dutifully bind her breasts before venturing out to do training or missions.

As her cheeks grew uncomfortably warm, she eased herself back to a lying position and subtly rearranged the towel over her chest. Tsuimaru, sensing it was once again safe to look at her, dabbed his fingers into the little container of healing cream in his hand, and resumed his work.

"Um..." Sabaki began, trying to phrase her question as neatly as possible, "...Where's... my shirt?"

She saw his ears turn red, and the boy mumbled, "It was cut up. I had to take it off." When he felt her tense, he immediately added with haste, "But I didn't do anything funny! I swear!"

Oh, what was this? Suspiciously, Sabaki raised an eyebrow at him again and wondered... Could it be true? Was the deadly, unemotional Tsuimaru actually embarrassed at her unintentional slip-up? Yes, he was! A silly grin plastered itself over her face, though she couldn't exactly figure out why she was so happy. Perhaps it was discovering that even he had a weakness. And what a weakness it was.

Tsuimaru noticed the decidedly evil smirk she was wearing, and apparently figuring out what was on her mind, unexpectedly pressed down on a gash in her stomach, causing her to jerk in pain.

"Ow!"

He returned her indignant cry with a light chuckle, and spread cream on the other side of her stomach without a word.

Hmph. Grrr. Sabaki settled down and mentally cursed him. Stupid Tsuimaru. She turned her head away from him and refused to look him in the eye again.

* * *

Kaze Taihou no Jutsu (Wind Artillery Technique) – Sends two spheres of condensed wind at the opponent, like small cannonballs. 

Kumo Bunshin no Jutsu (Cloud Clone Technique) – Creates copies of the user, made of clouds. They are very weak and can deal light damage, but serve best as a distraction.


End file.
